What would Michelle do? - Noel Letter Set Tutorial

What would Michelle do?

 Noel Letter Set Tutorial

I love Christmas! I have so many Christmas decorations that I could probably open my own store. But, when it comes to colors and Christmas I am definitely not a traditionalist! I am not into the old school green and red, which is great if that is what you like. All of my Christmas decorations are navy blue and silver with a little burgundy thrown in. I am a firm believer that when crafting or decorating you should use the colors that you love and by doing so you will love all the projects you make. Today I am going to teach you a fun technique that is a little more advanced but super easy to do. I am also going to use non-traditional colors on this Christmas project.

Here is a list of the items that I used on this project:

 Noel letter set, mahogany stain, midnight blue delta paint, Papers from echo park Keeping Cozy collection: Snowy days (front on the L) and Winter swirls (front on the O and back on the E), navy blue crinkle satin ribbon, medium rustic bell, sponge brushes, Dorice brand wood glue, dark brown ink, colorbox ink applicator, sand paper and Vaseline. All items except the stain and Vaseline can be purchased at The Wood Station.  

When starting any wood project I like to sand off any rough spots. Make sure that the wood is dusted free of sawdust. Using a sponge brush stain all sides of the N, also the bake, sides and front edges of the o, e, and l. Let the stain dry completely.

Once the stain is dry apply Vaseline to any location that you do not want the paint to stick and the stain to show through. I applied it to random places on the edges and  on the solid parts of the letters as well. Using a clean sponge brush apply a coat of paint. Paint right over the top of the Vaseline. Apply a second coat if needed.

You can see where the Vaseline was applied under the paint. Allow the paint to dry for several hours or overnight. Once the paint is dry use a napkin, paper towel or rag to wipe the paint off of the places where the Vaseline was applied,

The paint will rub right off in those places making it look as though the paint peeled off due to age or weather. You can also do this with two shades of paint if you like. You can also sand it in places to give it an even more rustic look.

 

Select the papers that you would like to use. Either before you start painting or after they are completely dry trace the letters face down on the back side of the paper. (The side that you are not using.)

A little tip: If you have letters that are a tight fit for tracing, take a pen apart and use just the ink barrel portion as shown above.

 

After tracing your letters cut them out and tear all of the edges. Lay the paper letters face up on the letter to make sure that they are the way that you would like them. Then was all of the paper letters.

 

Un-wad the letters and sand them with sand paper until they look the way that you like. Apply a thin layer of wood glue to the wood letter and apply the paper letter to it. Set aside to dry.

Once the glue is dry apply ink to the edges of the paper and to the front of the paper where it has been wrinkled and sanded. You can go as heavy or light on the ink as you like to get the look that you want.

 

I wanted to keep it simple and rustic. So the only embellishing that I did was to add a medium rustic bell by tying it on with a piece of navy blue crinkle satin ribbon. I love this simple distressing technique. There are so many things that you can do with it. It is a great technique to use for a layered paint look as well.

Happy Crafting!

 

Tutorial By  Michelle Harrington